California’s strawberries are currently in good supply coming out of Santa Maria; growers are almost finished cleaning up from the previous week's rain. Supplies are steadily increasing. Prices were $12 to $14 last week and will rise to about $14 for the Easter holiday. “This is a bit higher than last year,” said Michelle Deleissegues, marketing director of Red Blossom. Produce is currently being shipped out of Santa Maria. She said the price reflects the harvesting issues from the rain “and as such we are picking less volume.” What’s more, since it rained so heavily in the northern part of the state, “Watsonville/Salinas could be delayed until after Easter and that is another reason for the higher prices.”
Unique winter weather
California has certainly dealt with an unusually wet winter, but the forecast is clear and mild for the next few weeks leading into Easter. “The crop quality is excellent and supplies from Southern California for Easter will be strong,” she said. On top of downpours, there were also occasional high winds. Deleissegues said fortunately the weather conditions are only temporary, allowing them to pick through the issues quickly and move on. “We’ve had some warm temperatures lately and the fields are drying out nicely.”
New tracking feature introduced
Red Blossom is introducing a new iTrade Trace Back system. “We’ll exceed industry standards for providing the consumer and retailer instantaneous tracking ability for each consumer unit back to date, field and crew,” she said.
The system will allow the consumer to see Google Earth images of each field as well as choose to link to more in depth information on varieties, growers, and regional maps; all presented in a consumer friendly, eye appealing format. Red Blossom is excited to connect with retailers and consumers, bringing our berries and fields to their hands and homes, through real time images and information on their phones and computers.
For more information:
Michelle Deleissegues
Red Blossom
Tel: 831-320-8181
